Steer-by-wire steering systems are known. Generally stated, steer-by-wire steering systems are steering devices wherein the steering wheel is not mechanically connected to the steered wheels of the vehicle. Instead, steer by-wire steering systems allow remote operation of a motorized turning mechanism according to the angle of rotation, or steering angle, of a steering wheel. Furthermore, there are known steer-by-wire steering systems that allow for direct mechanical control of the turning mechanism in the event of electrical system problems. For example, in Japanese Kokai Patent Publication Nos. 2005-262969 and 2005-008073, steer-by-wire steering systems are shown that have a clutch that couples the rotating shaft of the vehicle wheel turning mechanism and the rotating shaft of the steering wheel, and thus, direct mechanical control of the turning mechanism using the steering wheel is made possible. As another example, Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 2006-001417 shows a vehicle steering device that shifts from steer-by-wire control to direct mechanical steering control by mechanically coupling the steering wheel and the turning mechanism when the turning angle approaches a maximum value.